The present invention relates generally to an adjustable telescoping utility pole comprising a plurality of hollow tubular members and a novel apparatus to controllably and frictionally retain the tubular members in a predetermined position The pole has a variety of applications including an antenna, flag pole, and curtain rod. Additionally, the present invention can be utilized as a means of extending the reach and use of a variety of utility devices such as golf ball retrievers, light bulb retrievers, fishing poles and adjustable plant stakes. More particularly, this invention relates to novel apparatus for controlling the frictional force between the hollow inter-received tubular members that comprise the telescoping pole.
Telescoping poles are generally comprised of multiple hollow tubular sections that are slideably received within each other, thereby allowing the pole to be extended and retracted to various lengths. The extension range, and resulting length, of a telescoping pole is generally based upon the number and length of the individual tubular sections that make up the pole. A pole comprised of a greater number of sections of equivalent length will extend farther than a similar pole comprised of fewer sections of the same length. As such, the length of a fully extended telescoping pole may be increased by either increasing the length of the tubular sections, or by increasing the number of sections.
Each pair of tubular sections can be described as a receiving section and a received section. The received tubular section fits slideably within the receiving tubular section. The inner diameter of the receiving tubular section is sized equal to, or slightly larger than, the outer diameter of the internally received tubular section. This internally received tubular section may also be hollow itself and slideably receiving in another internal section which has an outer diameter sized in the same relationship as stated above. Because these sections all retract within each other, the tubular sections that make up a telescoping pole are generally all the same length. Collectively, this arrangement of internally positioning a number of tubular sections is used to create telescoping poles in a variety of lengths and diameters that are used in a variety of intermittently extended states. Typically, the length of extension and diameter of the tubular sections is dictated by the pole's application. Some telescoping poles are used for a specific purpose in an extended position and are stored in a retracted position when not in use. Other poles, such a telescoping pole that is in constant use, is extended from the retracted position to the extended position only once and then typically remains in the extended position.
To remain ridged and straight at an extended position, each individual section comprising the telescoping pole must remain partially within each neighboring section. Whether fully or partially extended, the tubular sections of the telescoping pole need to stay affixed in some manner to the adjoining sections so the pole will remain in place once positioned to a desired length. Existing mechanisms for slideably and affixedly securing a first tubular section to an adjoining tubular section include the use of a locking mechanism that locks the tubular sections when in a fully extended position, a locking mechanism that can be activated at any position by counter-rotating adjoining sections of the pole, or a rotating locking collar threadedly engaged to the outer tubular section. The effective useful positions of the first locking mechanism are normally limited to an either fully retracted or fully extended position. Because the second and third mechanisms require the user to physically rotate a tubular section or a collar in order to lock each pair of tubular sections together, these are generally limited to telescoping poles comprised of only a small number of tubular sections.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a telescoping pole that is continuously extendible while retaining the ability to be effectively secured in a continuum of positions along the complete extension range of the pole without the need to rotate adjoined sections or limit the pole to preset locking positions. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a telescoping pole having one or more novel frictional insert mechanisms which guide and frictionally affix an internally received tubular section to the interior surface of the receiving section. These and other objects of the invention will be readily apparent in the descriptions that follow.